Apparatus for burning liquid fuel



Feb. 9, 1937.A A. A. LA POINTE 2,069,960

APPARATUS FOR BURNING LIQUID FUEL Filed Dec. 8, 1933 '2 Sheets-Sheet l @ging-5L;

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Feb. 9, 1937.

A. A. LA POINTE 2,069,960l

APPARATUS FOR BURNING LIQUID FUEL Filed Dec. a, 1933 2 sheets-'snm 2 Patented Feb. 9, 1,937

UNITED STATES 2,069,960 A APPARATUS Fon BURNING LIQUm FUEL Albert A. La Pointe, Hartford, Conn., assignor to The Universal Oil Burner Company, Incorporated, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application DembeEs, 1933, serial No. l101,490

6 Claims.

a combustion chamber where the fuel is mixed' with air. Another method consists of vaporizing the fuel in a vaporizing chamber and ejecting the vapors therefrom, by natural draft, into a combustion chamber where they are also mixed with air.

I have found, from many years of experience in the development `and manufacture of fuel burners, that in order to produce a burner.which is highly eiiicient in obtaining the maximum amount of heat from the liquid fuel consumed, it`

is necessary to provide just the proper amount of air in proportion to the amount of fuel which is vaporized.

By the methods above described it is very difficult to obtain a combustible mixture that consists of the correct amounts of air and fuel since, heretofore, no provision has been made for accurately and positively controlling the supply of air in proportion to the amount of fuel supplied.

The primary object of my invention, therefore, isl to provide an improved apparatus whereby liquid fuel is vaporized and mixed with just the correct amount of air in a vaporizing chamber wherein the resulting hydroxylated mixture is superheated to a degree which is sufiicient to convert the said mixture into a form of gas from which the greatest amount of combustion may be obtained.-

The process of burning liquid fuel by my improved apparatus, as hereinafter described, differs from the methods above mentioned inasmuch as, in my improved apparatus, the supply of fuel and air is theoretically balanced, one in relation with the other, without depending on conditions which are difficult to control.

My invention is also intended to provide a burner which will maintain continuous combustion and which is adapted, if desired, to automatically increase or decrease the supply of gas so as to furnish just the proper amount of combustion that is required to maintain any desired predetermined temperature.

The drawings illustrate one form of apparatus by which the objects above set out may be attained. 'It is to be understood, however, that the said apparatus may take other forms of construction and still embody my invention as long as my improved process is employed whereby the fuel is vaporized and positively mixed with air in proper proportions and then superheated into a gaseous form which is thoroughly combustible before it is ejected into a combustion chamber.

Other objects which will be attained by my invention will be clearly understood from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings'in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view showing my improved apparatus attached to a heater for generating steam, the boiler and housing of the heater being omitted.

Figure 2 is a side view'showing the apparatus, and a portion of the heater, in central vertical section, the boiler and parts of the controlling mechanism being shown in elevation.

Figure 3 is a plan view in horizontal section of the burner base member, on line 3-3 of Figure 6.

Figure 4 is a view of the same in central vertical section on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the same.

Figure 6 is a central vertical section on line 6 6 of Figure 4.

Figure 'l is an enlarged view, in central vertical section, of a portion of the jet plate used in my improved apparatus.

Figure 8 is a detail view, partly in section and on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the electrical heating unit employed in my invention.

As illustrated in the drawings in which like numerals denote like parts in the several views thereof, the numeral 5 denotes a base of a heater in which is supported a boiler 6 which is primarily intended for the generation of steam and which, if desired, may be also used for other heating purposes. A housing 1 is supported on the base 5 to enclose said boiler within the combustion chamber 8.

My improved apparatus comprises a burner base 9 which is mounted to the base 5 by means of a boss 9. The Said burner base has a central recess I0 that is substantially Surrounded vby a hollow wall Il. An inlet portion l2 extendsfrom said base and has therein an inlet port I3 opening into a vaporizing chamber I4 formed within the wall I l at one side of the base.

Vapor conduits |5|5, within the wall Il, extend from each side of the vaporizing chamber and around the central recess I0, to the underlying vapor conduits. H--l 6 which are located under the base and communicate, thru a fuel supply opening I1, with the centralrecess.

The burner base is preferably provided with a slotted opening I5 thru which the supply pipe I3 may be received when the said base is assembled to the heater. Where this slotted opening is used, it is bordered by an upstanding wall 23 to prevent leakage of fuel from the central recess I3. A cover plate 2| is provided to close the opening I3 in order to prevent the passage of air therethru; said cover plate being secured in position by means ofa clamping screw 22 as clearly illustrated.

A jet plate 23, in the form of a cover, is mounted over the opening I1 in the central recess to provide a superheatingchamber 24. This Jet plate is adapted to closely flt on the bottom of the central recess, and against the wall 25, so as to prevent the passage of fuel gas from the superheating chamber 24 past the edges of the plate.

The jet plate 23 is provided with an inclined wall 25 forming one side of a combustion groove 25 between the said Jet plate and the wall II.

-Burner jets 25 are mounted in openings 21 in the top and wall of said plate. These jets are provided with orices, thru which the gases are permitted to pass from the superheating chamber 24 into the combustion chamber 5 where combustion of the said gases will take place at each of the orifices i'n the form of a blue flame such as ob tained with the conventional type of gas burners; the jet orifices being of a size small enough to prevent ignition of the gases within the superheating chamber.

It will be noted that the inclined wall 25 of the `iet plate 23 is so disposed that it will direct the names thereon across the combustion groove 25' and against the wall II.

In order to provide an emciently combustible hydroxylated mixture which comprises the proper amount of oxygen with relation to a given amount of fuel, I employ, a blower of a conventional form, having a housing 28 and an impeller 23 which is rotated by a suitable electric motor contained within the housing 30 and operated by the electric switch 3| thru which electric current is supplied to said motor by means of a conduit 32. Air enters, into said blower, thru an opening 33 in the side of the housing 25 and if desired, air may be also permitted to enter thru the housing 33, around the electric motor, and thru the opening 34 thus tending to cool the said motor.

Fuel is supplied into the burner by means of a fuel supply pipe 35 which is connected to a fuel valve 35, from which a fuel delivery pipe 31 extends thru the air duct 35, of the blower housing 25, into a vaporizing well in the vaporizing chamber 35 formed in the burner base 3 nearl the inlet opening I3 of the burner base.

An air and fuel regulating device 43 is connected in the fuel supply pipe 35 before the fuel valve 35.

This device is operated, automatically, by pressure thru a control pipe 4| which extends to said device from the boiler 5. 'Ihe operation of the said regulating device for the control of the fuel which is supplied thru the valve 35 to the burner;` and also for the control of the air by means of a valve plate 42 operated by said controlling device will be clearly described in a separate application to be led by me. f

An electrical heating element 43 is embedded in the bottom of the burner base 3 and in close proximity with relation to the well in the vaporiz I ing chamber 35 so as to provide means whereby the said burner base may be preheated to cause initial vaporization of the fuel when the burner is first to be ignited.

The said heating element may be of a conven-v The operation of my improved oil burnerY is as follows:

When it is desired to ignite the burner, the switch 3| is turned to the position in which it will close an electrical circuit thru the heating element 43, energizing the resistance coil 45, and preheating the base 5. After the said base has been thuspreheated, heating of the burner base by means of the heating element 43 is no longer necessary. The switch 3| -is then turned into another position in which it will break the circuit thru the heating element and close the circuit thru the motor to operate the blower, thus revolving the impeller 29 and blowing air into the burner base. 'I'he valve 35 is then opened to permit flow of fuel from the supply pipe 35 thru the pipe 31 into the vaporizing well 35. Upon entering the said well, the fuel will become immediately vaporized. by the heat in the vaporizing chamber, the vapors from said fuel will be thoroughly mixed, with the oxygen that is in the air which is supplied by the blower, and turned into a hydroxylated mixture. This mixture is then heated to a higher degree while it is being forced thru thevapor conduits |5-I5 to the underlying passages I5-I5 and from there thru the opening I1 into the superheating chamber 24. 'I'he said mix- ,ture is then distributed thru the orifices in the burner jets 25 into the combustion chamber 3. The mixture is then ignited and combustion thereof will take place on the jet plate at each of the said orifices ashereinabove described.

After the burner has been thus ignited thel flames, at each of the orifices in the burner ietslated mixture in the same manner as above, de-y scribed. The mixture will then be heatedto a high degree as it passes, thru the conduits I5 in the wall into the superheating and distributing chamber 24. This chamber is now being heated. by the combustion which is maintained on top of the Jet plate 23, to a degree which is sumcient to thoroughly break up the hydrocarbon molecules in the hydroxylated mixture and to cause the mixture to be turned into a form of highly and thoroughly combustible gas. This gas will then pass thru the orifices and burn on top of the Jet plate as above described.

It will be readily understood that by means of the extremely high temperature which is maintainable in the superheating chamber 24, the hydrocarbon molecules of the fuel are completely mingled and theoretically balanced in the hydroxylated mixture so that substantially every particle of fuel is absorbed into the mixture and consumed by combustion, thus leaving no sediment in the form ofcarbon within theburner base.

After the desired temperature, or steam pressure, has been obtained in the boiler 5 by the operation of the burner, the pressure created in the upper portion of said boiler will be transmitted thru the pressure pipe 4l to the control device B which, by means of such pressure, will operate to restrict the iiow of fuel from the supply pipe 35 into the valve 36 and thus automatically lower the volume of combustion, which is taking place on the burner, to the required degree. At the same time as the said controlling device is restricting the flow of fuel, it will also operate the valve plate 42 to proportionately restrict the amount of air which Vis permitted to enter thru the opening 33 in the blower housing.

The said controlling device will not operate to entirely shut oi the supply of fuel and air but only to reduce the same so that the degree of heat generated by the burner will be reduced to a degree which is sufficiently low when the desired pressure'has been attained within the boiler.

It will be seen, therefore, that by means of said controlling device, combustion on my improved burner is regulated in proportion to a predetermined temperature or steam pressure which isv desired in the boiler 6. v

It will also be noted that, by means of the construction of my improved burner as above described, I have provided a burner wherein the vapors from fuel are thoroughly mixed with the proper amount of air and superheated to such a degree that carbonization of said fuel within the passages in the burner base is practically eliminated, and that, by means of the various stages in which the vapors are heated and superheated, the said vapors are converted to a gaseous form which is readily'ignited after passing thru the orifices in the burner jets.

It is to be understood that while I have shown my improved burner in combination with an automatic controlling means, the said controlling means is not entirely necessary for the operation of the burner, since the same may be operated only by the blower and the valve 36 if it is desired to maintain a constant degree of combustion.

The said automatic controlling device, however, is of a great advantage when it is desired to automatically raise or lower the heat to maintain a constant temperature in the boiler.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for burning hydrocarbon fuel comprising, a burner base having a vaporizing receptacle, a superheating chamber, ducts interconnecting the said receptacle and chamber, a

combustion groove formedby the walls of said duct and superheating chamber, orifices in the wall of said superheating chamber opening into said combustion groove and disposed to direct the products from the combustion of the gases therefrom against the wall of said ducts, means for supplyingl fuel to said vaporizing receptacle and means for supplying a proportionate amount of air to be mixed with said fuel vapors formed therein.

2. In a liquid burner, a burner body having an opening for admission of a current of air, a vaporizing chamber adjacent said opening to receive liquid fuel tobe vaporized and mixed with the said air, a wall surrounding said-burner body and forming a recess in the upper surface thereof, the said wall containing the said vaporizing chamber'and a duct leading therefrom, an underpassage leading from said duct to said recess, a

` body forming a slot intersecting said distributing chamber, under passages on each side of said slot communicating with said distributing chamber, and ducts extending from said vaporizing chamber to each of said under passages.

4. In a liquid burner, a burner body having a recess, a slotextending from one side of said body substantially to the center thereof, a wall defining said slot, a vaporizing chamber for receiving fuel to be vaporized therein, ducts leading from` each side of said vaporizing chamber to the Wall of said slot and under passages atl each side of said slot leading from said duets to the said recess, an inverted dish-shaped plate positioned in said recess and having a notch to receive a portion of the wall of said slot which together with the walls of said plate form a distributing chamber communicating through said under passage and ducts with the said vaporizing chamber, and orifices in the walls'of said plate to provide for passage of fuel vapors to be burned on said plate.

5. A liquid burner comprising a burner body having an annular wall forming a recess in the top surface thereof, a slotl formed by a vertical wall of said body and extending substantially to the center thereof, a vaporizing chamber in said wall opposite said slot, ducts in said wall leading from said vaporizing chamber to the wall of said slot, passages bounded by the wall of said slot and leading from the ends of said ducts to said recess, an inverted dish-shaped cover resting on the bottom of said recess and embracing a portion of the wall of said slot; the wall of said slot which, together with the walls of said cover, form a distributing chamber communicating through said passages and ducts with said vaporizing chamber `and orifices to provide for the passage of vapors from said distributing chamber to be burned on said plate.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising a burner having a central recess, a hollow wall surrounding said recess and providing a duct, a superheating chamber in said recess, a ductunderlying said superheating chamber and communicating therewith, a vaporizing chamber communicating with said superheating chamber for the. passage of vapors from said vaporizing chamber, through the duct in said wall and said heated.

ALBERT A. LA POINTE. 

